Chains and Rings: Our Destinies
by Aoi Kazuya
Summary: Sequel to CaR:OF. Kimura Crocifisso : -noun, singular 1. Estraneo Famiglia experiment 2. Vongola Famiglia 3. Varia 4. Cavallone Famiglia 5. Tsuna's Famiglia...? 6. What is loyalty and what is friendship? HibariXOC BelXOC
1. Varia Arc: The Varia Arrive

**A/N: Hey guys, welcome to the second installment of Chains and Rings :) If you haven't figured it out yet, this is the sequel to Chains and Rings: Our Fates. I'm sorry it always takes me so long to put up a chapter, but I figured it would be a good time to tell you that I haven't abandoned any of my stories (unless it is labelled as being on infinite hiatus, as that would mean it will probably not be taken off hiatus). I've been really busy with life issues, but I always have ideas for my next chapters circling somewhere in my mind.**

**Anyway, moving on. The Varia are finally here! And we get to see just how bad my fight scene writing is! Haha, at any rate, I hope I haven't changed Cross-chan's character too much in these newer chapters. Do you guys like this way of writing better, or the way I wrote it before?**

**Hope you guys like the new story~ Please leave some feedback :) It motivates me to write~**

**Cheers,**

**~Aoi**

* * *

Cross made herself scarce after the whole ordeal with Squalo. It wasn't that she wasn't willing to tell Tsuna of her relation to the long-haired swordsman, more like…he never asked. Really. After Dino had pulled out the case with the real Half-Vongola Rings, Tsuna had run out of the hospital and Cross hadn't bothered to follow him, hanging back to talk with Dino and Reborn. Of course Reborn already knew of her relations and he was wary of her, heck, she probably would have been wary of herself in this type of situation. But Dino, besides the two of them considering one another to be siblings, couldn't really keep such things hidden from Cross anyway. She was technically a part of the Cavallone famiglia as well. Ah…she had too many loyalties to her name at this point. What kind of fourteen year old actually had this many life-threatening things to worry about? Scratch that thought. She came from the world of mafia; of course things were always going to be life-threatening.

Even though she hadn't been given any new assignments, Cross had already fallen behind in her mission reports for the Varia and her paperwork for the Cavallone, so she set to work on those, allotting time for herself to practice as well. She kept tabs on the people she'd grown close to in Namimori, but for the most part, she hung back in the shadows. She knew when the rings had been delivered, since she had been sitting outside on her balcony and watching the Vongola External Advisor early that morning. It would be interesting to see how these people would train in the days they had left leading up to the appearance of the Varia. So between watching Tsuna's family from hidden spots, paperwork, and her own training, Cross found herself quite busy.

Watching these inexperienced (for the most part) middle schoolers working hard to reach a level of fighting that would let them fight on a more even playing ground with the Varia was…interesting. Cross would never say that their efforts were a waste of time, since after spending so much time with them…she realized that they did have a chance. They had so much potential to grow and they still had time to mature. The only thing she knew she would miss seeing in them once they got older would be that carefree-ness that they had. The world of the mafia was not kind. It was dark and dirty. Of course, she wasn't counting the Varia out just yet. True, Tsuna and his family had potential, but the Varia had been going out on missions and carrying out assassinations long before these middle schoolers had any idea of what was out there. Heck…most of them had been doing this before Cross herself had even been born. But, she had to admit, it would be really something to see Tsuna's side win. As she sat at her desk, bent over some important documents that she needed to get back to Dino as soon as she was finished with them, Cross pulled on a chain around her neck and then fiddled with the object that swung in the V. Yea…things would be really interesting soon.

It was the second morning after the Half-Vongola Rings had been handed out did Cross finish with the documents. She shuffled them neatly into one pile before sliding them into a manila folder and sealing it. She got up from her seat and headed out of her room to the kitchen, where she set a pot of water onto the stove to boil. She'd have something quick to eat before heading out, she decided. She pulled the fridge door open and stared at the contents for a moment before pulling out a bunch of fruit. She set them on the countertop before pulling out a knife, its edge gleamed sharply and Cross ran a finger lightly against it before grinning and preparing a fruit salad with a cup of green tea on the side.

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Cross soon found herself outside the gates leading onto the Namimori-chuu grounds. Dino had been assigned to be Hibari's home tutor…so it was safe to assume they would be at the school right? Covering a yawn, Cross was glad she had remembered to ask for a refill of her medication to be sent. She'd run out a few days after the encounter with Mukuro, which was why she'd lost consciousness like that, but now it was fine. She pulled out the pill bottle and popped the lid, absently shaking a pill into her mouth and swallowing it as she walked before tucking the bottle back away into her pocket. As usual, Cross hadn't bothered with the school uniform, but it wasn't like she was here to attend classes anyway. She paused a couple feet away from the entrance of the school and peered up at the rooftop before making a sound in the back of her throat and entering the school.

She couldn't say she was surprised, in fact…she kind of expected the scene she was met with when she finally reached the school roof. Her eyes darted back and forth from the mafia boss to the disciplinary committee head.

"Poor _fratello_ got stuck with the problematic one I see." Cross commented as she made her way over to where Romario stood. The older man looked down before nodding and chuckling.

"Boss has his work cut out for him."

"Definitely."

The two turned as one to see Hibari insult Dino before looking at one another and bursting into laughter, Romario grasping onto the fencing behind him while Cross doubled over with her arms around her middle.

"Romario! _Sorella_! It's not funny!" Dino complained when he heard the laughter, turning his head briefly to cast the two an exasperated look before quickly returning his attention to Hibari and dodging a tonfa strike. "What are you doing here anyway Cross? I'm a bit busy right now."

Cross was silent for a moment, just watching the two males fighting. Hibari looked even more annoyed now that Dino was holding a conversation while he was sparring, which probably translated to Dino holding back against him. "I'm busy myself _fratello_." She said simply. She shifted her grip on the manila folder before holding it up.

"_Oh__, e ho finito i documenti. Il resto dei negoziati sono fino a voi_." (Oh, and I finished the documents. The rest of the negotiations are up to you.)

Dino glanced back yet again, briefly. "Romario?"

Cross nodded before turning and passing the folder over to Dino's right-hand man.

"_Sono certo che__ ho commesso errori, ma sarebbe meglio se hai selezionato sopra ogni evenienza. Non possiamo rischiare di non aver i negoziati, perché ho commesso un errore di distrazione._ " (I am sure that I made no mistakes, but it would be best if you checked it over just in case. We cannot risk failing the negotiations because I made a careless mistake.)

"___Sarà mia cura__ verificare il tutto. Grazie per il vostro duro lavoro_." (I will be sure to check it over. Thank you for your hard work.)

"_Sto __solo __facendo il mio lavoro_." (I am merely doing my job.)

Cross twisted her upper body a bit after that, trying to work out the kinks in her back. "Well, now that my delivery is done…I've got some other work to do. Please excuse me Romario, Dino, sempai." Cross gave a curt bow and, without waiting for a response, disappeared back into the school building. She pulled out her cell phone as she made her way swiftly down the staircase to check the time before tucking it away again. She had a bit of spare time. She had been meaning to speak with Dino for a bit longer but as he was preoccupied, there wasn't much that she could do about that. She might as well make use of her free time…

* * *

"Thank you! Please come again!"

Cross rubbed at her eyes as she left the cake store, a bag clutched in her hands as she directed her steps to the Sasagawa household. She wasn't particularly close to the girl in her class, though she knew Tsuna had a crush on her, in fact, that much was probably obvious to anyone with eyes…though the girl herself seemed to be completely oblivious. But her brother would be getting into something dangerous (not to mention he'd been attacked a few months ago because of Mukuro) and Cross, though it wasn't directly her fault, felt some sympathy for the girl. After all, she was a sweet girl, and had been really nice that day right before Squalo and Basil had shown up. She'd just pass along the cake, say it was a present or something, and be on her way. At least Cross would have given Kyoko some sort of compensation for all the worry she would be put through.

…Yea, no one said Cross' logic made much sense all the time.

It took a bit of wandering around before Cross found the right house and she stood stock still on the doorstep after ringing the doorbell, her gaze faraway as she ran over the list of other things she still had to do that day.

"Cross-chan?"

Cross blinked before turning her head to find the door had been opened. She placed a small friendly smile on her face before holding out the cake bag. "Hey Kyoko-chan. I heard that you liked cakes and I saw that the store had some new flavors. I bought too many and I thought that I'd just share with you."

Kyoko blinked at her and Cross mentally sighed before placing the bag in the orange-haired girl's hands. "Have a good day Kyoko-chan." Cross said before turning and leaving. She heard a shout of 'thank you Cross-chan' before she checked to make sure the coast was clear and scaled a tree to jump onto a rooftop before continuing her way back to her apartment. Now she just had to work on the last bits of her mission reports. Joy.

* * *

Cross' expression remained blank as she watched Gokudera's hands slip once again, causing him to be caught once more in the explosions of his dynamite. He just didn't seem to understand that he was going to end up killing himself. Or maybe that's what he was aiming for. It certainly seemed that way. He was too single-minded.

While it might have seemed that they had a disregard for their own lives considering the near suicidal missions (some of them probably _had_ been suicidal missions, but the Varia did make sure that they had at least a 90% chance of success before taking any missions) that they took, even the best assassins out there understood the worth of their own lives. In fact, they wouldn't have gotten anywhere if they didn't even understand something like that. Cross' eyes narrowed. Gokudera would need to learn that, but she wouldn't be the one to tell him that. It wasn't her place. Catching movement from the corner of her eyes, Cross' attention turned to Tsuna, who had been running to try and stop Gokudera from hurting himself. The octopus-head would be in good hands. Cross stood back up from where she had been crouching on a tree branch and headed back into town.

She didn't really need to check on the elder Sasagawa since he was being trained by an arcabaleno, as was Tsuna. She could stop at the dojo where the Yamamoto's were before heading back to the school to check on Dino and Hibari's progress. As for the lightning and mist guardians…there wasn't much to check on, was there? She landed neatly on a rooftop and paused before continuing on. No, she wouldn't need to check on those two.

* * *

It never occurred to her what her relationship with her parents would be if she hadn't been taken away from them when she was younger. Cross found herself wondering where her parents were now as she watched Yamamoto and his father through one of the dojo windows. It was probably better she didn't know. She wouldn't recognize them now anyway…they wouldn't even know who she was either. Their worlds were completely different and she had a new family.

"You'll definitely give Squalo a run for his money Yamamoto." Cross murmured with a smile before yawning and turning, walking slowly back into the market, hands tucked into her pockets. She hadn't really thought about family in the conventional sense in a very long time. The first family she'd had, her biological family, was just a very faint memory in the back of her mind. The first memory of a family she could remember well at all was the one she made with Mukuro, Ken, and Chikusa. Following them was the Varia and the Cavallone. She couldn't leave this life behind even if she had wanted to; it was all the family she'd known.

"Oh! Cross-chan!"

Huh? Cross looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Hi Mama, I-pin, Bianchi."

She crouched to pick up the small Chinese girl and carried her as she fell into step with the two women.

"What are you doing today Cross-chan?"

"Just wandering. I had to drop off something at the post office earlier."

"You should come over for dinner then." Nana invited.

"Oh I couldn't possibly-"

"Mama has been cooking a feast since Papa came home." Bianchi interrupted. Cross turned her eyes to the full Italian woman that she was walking next to. Even if she was a freelance assassin, Bianchi had to know of Cross' affiliations.

"It seems I can't really turn down the offer than." Cross finally decided, "Thank you for inviting me."

"Haha, you're always welcome over Cross-chan. Any friend of Tsu-kun's is family."

Family… Cross smiled a sincere smile at that before patting I-pin on the head and passing her over to Bianchi. "Thank you Mama. I'll be over later than. I have one more errand to run first."

"We'll see you tonight then." The brown haired woman smiled and waved as Cross headed in the direction of the middle school.

Tsuna's family. Would she really be considered a part of it when this was all over? She breathed out a sigh before hopping onto a low fence and taking once more to the rooftops.

* * *

"Kimura."

Ah, she'd been caught. Cross stood from where she'd been sitting and watching the sparring below her and hopped down to the same level as Dino, Romario, and Hibari.

"Hibari-sempai." She greeted him. Were those two finally taking a break? She noted the glint of the ring that Hibari had been given and her expression tightened. It didn't go unnoticed, but nothing was said about it.

"You've been ditching school."

"Ah…I suppose I have. "

"That is against school rules."

Cross blinked before chuckling, "Yea, it is, isn't it?"

His grips on his tonfa shifted and Cross raised an eyebrow. "I meant no disrespect. My papers haven't gone through then, I'm assuming?"

"Papers?"

"Mm. I'm withdrawing from Nami-chuu. It's a great school, but I honestly don't have any need to be enrolled here any longer as it is."

"Then you are trespassing."

Cross sighed yet again and nearly smacked herself in the face from exasperation. Well, she needn't worry about him it seemed. She turned her attention to the blonde next to her and proceeded to ignore the disciplinary committee head.

"_Tutti i __tentativi di contattare __me __nei prossimi giorni __saranno inutili__. __Devo __preparare il loro __arrivo __pure__._" (All attempts to contact me in the next days will be useless. I have to prepare for their arrival as well.)

Cross ran a hand through her hair before giving Dino a tired smile. The man shook his head before enveloping her in a hug. "_Buona fortuna __sorellina__._" (Good luck little sister.)

"_Per __voi come __fratello __pure.__Temo __che la prossima __volta che ci incontriamo__, __ci __sarà __bisogno di essere __nemici__._" (To you as well brother. I fear that the next time we meet, we will need to be enemies.)

She returned his embrace before pulling back and jumping to the top of the fencing surrounding the roof. She gave a half salute before jumping off.

* * *

Dinner at the Sawada household was an interesting experience. Haru and Nana were the only ones who were completely oblivious to the tension surrounding the rest of the family. Well…the majority of the rest of the family. The infants, Fuuta, and Bianchi carried on as normal, and Reborn, Iemitsu, and Cross were very good actors. No one really paid much attention to Tsuna's outbursts anyway.

It was the after dinner bit, when Tsuna had retreated to his bedroom and Cross found herself sitting alone with Iemitsu and Reborn that was the most interesting.

"So they sent you over."

"I've been stationed in Namimori for some months now. Yes."

"She's helped some with Tsuna's training."

"Really?"

"I have my reasons."

Cross' gaze met with Reborn's and she mentally let out the breath she had been holding when the foot-tall hitman did not call her out on her lie.

"You've gotten close to my family."

"You can say that."

"What are you planning…?"

"You ask as if you expect an answer Vongola External Advisor."

Iemitsu's hand slammed onto the tabletop and silence fell. "You're mocking me."

"I am." Cross admitted before standing up. "I have other matters to attend to. You know how it is." She stepped towards the door before pausing and tilting her head to the side. "I assume I will be seeing you in a few days' time." With that, she finally left.

* * *

The following days, Cross was on the phone making arrangements or doing her own thing. She didn't make contact with any of Tsuna's family in that time frame and as she had told Dino, unless it was from Varia headquarters, no calls or forms of contact made it past her block.

She had a feeling she wasn't getting the full plan from the rest of the Varia…but there had to be a reason for it. So she didn't pry. She would find out in time. She could be patient. Another sheet of paper was shredded before one of Cross' sai was embedded into the wall. Stupid mission reports.

You'd think with everything that was going on, Xanxus wouldn't care so much for the reports to be done. But no, as soon as she'd finished the last batch and sent them back, a new load had arrived for her. She would have a lot to say to Bel when they met again. As she put her pen to a fresh sheet of paper, the writing implement cracked. Cross paused and stared at her pen before leaning back in her seat.

They were early.

She rolled her eyes as she dropped her pen and got up from her seat. Leave it to Xanxus to immediately realize that the rings had been faked. Cross crossed to her closet and pulled open the doors, pushing aside her casual clothes to reveal the uniform she'd buried at the back of her things. She pulled out the coat and smoothed out the wrinkles, it'd been a while since she'd worn it. She glanced out the window and noted the sky color…it was like blood…how fitting.

Cross' uniform was pretty standard, though she had her own personal additions, like her fellow teammates. Her Varia coat fell to about knee-length with chain adornments and a capelet sort of structure at the shoulder areas. She wore this around her shoulders, kept from falling off by a double chain at the front. Under the coat was the standard issue pants tucked into a pair of white boots with black laces courtesy of raiding Bel's closet. Around her waist was a pair of double belts and for her top she wore a long sleeved collared white shirt that was tucked in but unbuttoned so you could see the purple tee she wore underneath.

After pulling her sai from the wall, Cross stowed the weapons away on her person and left by way of the balcony. It would probably be better to leave unseen she figured.

* * *

Levi needed to train his lackeys better. It was much too easy for her to track the members of the Lightning Squad and to hide far back enough that Reborn didn't sense her, but that she was still able to see what was happening. To be caught unawares by amateurs who'd only begun seriously training a few days ago was disgraceful. Though she had to hand it to them, they hadn't hesitated even when the target was revealed to be a five-year old child. Cross herself refused to take missions if it involved children.

She straightened up when Levi dropped into the scene. He still looked as stupid as ever. He really needed to do something with those sideburns of his. Cross stifled the laugh she had at that thought and stared at the giant robot that dropped down behind Levi with the rest of the Varia. Hm…was that thing to be her replacement? She felt mildly offended, but dismissed the feeling as she moved closer to hear what was being said. Ah…it seemed Xanxus just wanted to get things over with. Cross' muscles tightened though she knew there was no way she would be able to get away fast enough if Xanxus really did use _that_.

"Hold on Xanxus. That's enough. I'll take charge from here."

Oh, there was Iemitsu. Cross decided that it was about time she revealed herself as well as she watched Tsuna exclaim in shock. She kicked off from her tree and flipped over Tsuna and his family to land neatly on the un-armored shoulder of the Gola Mosca.

"Really Boss, no need to be so hasty."

"So that's where you were _principessa_." Bel said, tilting his head back as he looked up. Cross grinned and rested an arm on Gola Mosca's head, laying her head on top of it.

"I have some complaints for _you_ _principe_." She responded before grinning and turning her attention to Iemitsu. "Oh, please carry on, I didn't mean to interrupt you Iemitsu."

"C-Cross-chan?!"

Cross turned her eyes to Tsuna though her expression remained passive. She'd have to find a way to deal with this another time. She noted the looks of shock on the other's faces as Squalo shouted at Iemitsu.

"Xanxus, are you going to allow your subordinates to raise their weapons and to mock the External Advisor?"

"Don't stick your nose in so late, Iemitsu! You're nothing but a coward!" Squalo shouted.

Basil raised his own weapon in response and Cross' free hand disappeared under her coat as she returned her attention to Iemitsu and his team.

"I was not being a coward. I sent a letter to the Ninth with my doubts and questions when he continued to allow you Varia to act in a questionable manner. This is his response." Iemitsu held up a letter and Cross straightened up, her eyes on the letters as one was passed to Xanxus and another to Tsuna. "This is a direct order from the Ninth."

"I don't understand. Why do you know all of this?" Tsuna questioned, the confusion obvious in his expression. Cross dropped from Gola Mosca's shoulder as Reborn explained what the Vongola External Advisor was to Tsuna.

"If you still don't get it, it is like the relationship between Cross and Dino."

"H-Huh?"

Cross frowned as she took her place next to Bel. "Is this really the time to be discussing my titles Reborn?" She folded her arms over her chest. "Just ask Dino about it later Tsunayoshi. There is a more pressing matter at hand."

Tsuna looked down at the letter Basil had passed him. "D-Dying Will Flames!"

"That is the Ninth's Dying Will Flame Seal. It is a real order." Mammon said.

"I can't read Italian! What does it say?"

If it wasn't such a serious moment, Cross might have really smacked herself in the face. Now was really not the place to be showing his ignorance.

"To translate and summarize:

_Until now, I have thought that Iemitsu's son, Sawada Tsunayoshi, was a worthy successor and acted as such. However, perhaps because I am close to death, by intuition I changed course and chose a new successor. My son, Xanxus. He is truly worthy to be the Tenth._

_ However, there will be those who are unhappy with this change. That is why Iemitsu fought against handing the Rings over to Xanxus. I do not wish for my Family to fight amongst itself for no reason. Thus, we will begin the decisive battle to decide who will be the official successor, through a method we can all agree on._

This is what it means. Vongola successor candidate, Sawada Tsunayoshi. And also a successor candidate, Xanxus. The Vongola Rings that you both require to become the true successor, to decide who has the right to these, we will begin the decisive battle between Tsuna's family and the Varia! A one-on-one battle between those who hold the same type of ring!" Iemitsu announced.

"A FIGHT?!" Yup, leave it to Tsuna to panic. What did he think all that training had been for if not a fight?

"Yes. After that it says to wait for further information."

Two figured jumped out from the tree-line after that and Cross watched them with some interest. She'd never seen them before.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. We are from the Cervello Organization that serves from under the Ninth. We will be the judges for the Ring Battles." One of them held out a letter that also contained the Ninth's Dying Will Flame.

When Xanxus did not object to their being there, Cross once more dismissed the fact that she knew nothing about them. If her boss wasn't worried about it, then she needn't be either. The rest of the things that they explained weren't really new to Cross, as she had spent a couple years working in the Varia. She'd picked up some stuff about Vongola customs. It was only when the Cervello announced the battleground to be Namimori-chuu did Cross react. How were they going to get away with that when Hibari was so protective of the school? Hm…though they were mafia for a reason, she supposed. They would have a way.

"Be at Namimori-chuu at eleven tomorrow night. The first battle will be announced then." The Cervello then proceeded to jump back into the trees. Cross frowned at that before returning her attention to Xanxus to see what their next moves would be. He glared at Tsuna and his family before the entire Varia turned as one to leave. Cross cast a glance over her shoulder as she fell into step with her teammates.

'_What will you do now, Sawada Tsunayoshi?'_

* * *

It was strange being in the company of her teammates again. She had gotten accustomed to the life of the people of Namimori much too quickly. She should have known better than to get attached. Cross yawned as she stretched, her palms pressing against the floor. She was currently bent over backwards, bent nearly double, stretching.

"Cross-chan~"

Cross kicked off the ground and performed a handstand for a brief moment before flipping again so she was back on her feet, rolling her shoulders. It was also much noisier now, she noted as she left her room. Hard to believe it had only been a few hours since she'd seen her teammates again. She crossed the short hallway that split all the rooms apart and entered the living room. She was currently staying with the rest of the Varia in a hotel, not trusting them to be anywhere near the apartment she was renting out. Her poor neighbors would be even more frightened then they already were of the half-Italian.

"Yes?"

It was a conditioned response _not _to twitch when Lussuria appeared wearing an extremely frilly pink apron. Or when he started to fuss about her appearance. While Cross tended to make sure her appearance was always presentable, she had just woken up for god's sake and had been stretching, could anyone really blame her for only being in a pair of really short shorts and an overlarge t-shirt?

"Lussuria, did you call me out here for anything other than to ask why I'm still in my pajamas?"

That seemed to snap the man out of his little world where…well, Cross really didn't want to know what he had been thinking of. "Could you be a dear and go wake everyone up for breakfast?"

This time Cross had to fight really hard not to twitch. Wake up calls. The most dangerous part of the day. She glowered at the flamboyant man but turned to do as asked anyway. Mammon was already up, as Cross found out when she knocked on the baby's door. He was writing figures down in a notebook when Cross opened the door to announce that breakfast was almost ready. Gola Mosca didn't really need a wakeup call. The machine had been standing in a corner of the living room when Cross had just been in there. The next person was Squalo. One bucket of water later, the long-haired captain was up and screaming, which helped to wake up the person in the room next to his, Levi. Cross skipped Xanxus' room, figuring she'd just leave that disaster for Levi to deal with. Finally, she found herself standing in front of Bel's room.

When she'd first been brought to the Vongola by the Ninth and dumped upon the Varia as an assignment (really, what _had_ the Ninth been thinking?), Bel had been the closest in age to her, so she had always been left in his care. The two developed a love-hate relationship which was where their "affectionate" nicknames came from. She respected Bel's claims that he was a prince and he made her his un-official princess. It made sense to them when they were younger, and they'd never really abandoned the habit.

Cross knocked on the blonde's door and when she got no response, tried the doorknob. Finding it unlocked, she entered the room carefully. She pulled out a sai from a hidden spot and shifted it in her hands, just in case Bel had set up any traps. She wasn't disappointed when she had to deflect a couple sets of knives from skewering her.

Finally she made it over to the bed and stared at the lump under the blankets that was known as Prince the Ripper. Out of all the Varia officers, Bel was probably the one who loved his sleep the most, with Cross coming in a close second. Xanxus was his own chart altogether, so Cross didn't count him.

"It's time for breakfast _principe_."

No response.

Cross sighed before climbing onto Bel's bed and pulling his blankets away so she could actually see him. Of course, she wasn't expecting him to already be awake. In all their years of knowing one another, unless he had a mission, Bel was never up before Cross was sent to wake him up. So when Bel suddenly flipped their positions, Cross wasn't ready and reacted a second too late. She frowned up at Bel from where she had been pinned below him.

"___Ushishishishi…Sembra che il principe si è preso una principessa__._" (It looks like the prince has caught himself a princess.)

"___E che cosa__ fa il piano di principe di fare con la sua principessa_?" (And what does the prince plan on doing with his princess?)

Bel leaned down till his bangs were brushing against Cross' and their noses were centimeters apart before pulling away just as suddenly as he had flipped them and fixed the tiara in his hair. Cross sat up when Bel had finally released her arms and rolled her shoulders.

"Such a tease." She laughed out before sliding out of the bed and retrieving her dropped sai. "Lussuria will throw a fit if we don't go out soon. Don't go back to sleep _principe_."


	2. Varia Arc: The Hardy Sun

**A/N: Hi guys, here's chapter two. I don't really have much to say right now. Uhm... I might be considering writing a Kuroko no Basuke fic because I've been obsessed with it recently... but that's still tentative. Ah right, sorry there's no actual Hibari in this chapter. Hibari-kun probably won't be showing up until the Cloud Ring Battle so... it'll be mostly Cross interacting with Bel until then. I hope nobody is too OOC, it's bee a while since I watched/read the Varia Arc so I'm just going off of what i can remember, so if I miss certain details...so sorry.**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

**Cheers,**

**~Aoi**

* * *

"This town is so boring…how did you not go insane _principessa_?" Bel complained after breakfast had been finished. He was stretched out on the couch, his head hanging over the armrest, facing the half-Japanese girl that was curled up in the armchair, her eyes scanning quickly over a pile of papers she held in her hands.

"I was on assignment _principe_, I didn't really notice." Cross answered absently as her pen met paper and she scrawled her signature across the bottom of the page before flipping to the next sheet. She ran her hand through her hair and fixed the glasses perched on her nose as she continued to read.

"The Prince demands to know what the _principessa_ is doing that it is more important than talking to him."

Cross' eyes flickered up from her papers to Bel's face to see the frown he was directing at her. She regarded him for a moment before going back to her work.

"It's for my _fratello_. He hasn't had time to do his paperwork since he's been busy. It's my job."

Bel's frown deepened. "So the haneuma is more important than the prince..._ushishishi_."

Cross twitched at the sound of his laughter and set her pen and papers down on the coffee table. She then proceeded to lean precariously over the armrest of the armchair she occupied till her face was inches from Bel's. Then she kissed his cheek before falling back into her seat, signing another paper.

"You are both important. Don't be selfish _principe_."

She didn't flinch when a knife embedded itself into the armchair right next to her head, a faint line of red appearing along her cheek.

"The Prince does not like sharing what is his."

Cross merely hummed in response, eyes narrowing at the words she was reading. Without taking her eyes off the words, she pulled her cellphone out and dialed Romario's cell, having a feeling Dino wouldn't be able to answer his. As soon as the man picked up, Cross switched to Italian and conversed quickly. Bel was further irked. He did not like being ignored by his princess in such a rude manner. He got off his seat and stood in front of Cross. The girl looked up from her papers and in the next moment was behind the armchair as Bel was pushing himself back up from lunging for the phone. Cross continued to talk with Romario over the details of what they could do to fix the mistake as she and Bel moved throughout the room, climbing over furniture, twisting into odd shapes to avoid flying knives (Cross), ducking and dodging to avoid swipes from a sharpened sai (Bel), and all around making a mess of the living room.

"VOI! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO BRATS DOING?!"

The two teenagers froze where they were, Bel about to throw another handful of knives and Cross bent backwards till her back was almost against the floor. The two of them turned to stare at Squalo before answering together in a deadpan:

"What does it look like stupid long-haired captain?"

"VOI!"

Cross excused herself from her phone conversation and quickly rolled out of the way of a sword swipe and a line of knives that embedded themselves into the floor.

A moment later, Bel and Cross found themselves bodily tossed out of the hotel suite. They looked at one another from where they were lying on the ground and started laughing. At the sound of another one of Squalo's signature "Voi"'s, the two picked themselves up quickly and caught an elevator going down to the ground floor.

Once in the lift, Cross sighed and frowned at Bel. "I can't believe you got us tossed out. I still have to finish work for the Cavallone."

"It's not the Prince's fault. _Principessa_ is the one who shouldn't have been ignoring me."

Cross scowled at the blonde and the two reached simultaneously for their weapons. Just as Cross' fingertips brushed her sai, the elevator dinged and more people entered, causing the two mafia members to retreat their hands and to turn their scowls onto the intruders. The elevator couldn't reach the ground floor fast enough for the poor tourists that had gotten on.

The two dangerous teens stepped out and walked out of the hotel silently before stopping in the streets of Namimori. Now what were they supposed to do…

* * *

After stopping at a clothes boutique and buying new outfits (they'd been thrown out while still in their pajamas) the pair walked through the streets quietly. For Cross, she already knew the streets rather well, between her late night wanderings and the work she had done with Hibari, she knew most of the landmarks in Namimori by now. As for Bel… Cross glanced at him briefly before turning her face back forward, as long as he wasn't causing havoc, it was fine.

"Ah, Cross-chan? Shouldn't you be in school right now?"

Cross turned her head and mentally sighed before smiling and reaching out a hand to snag Bel's elbow before he could continue walking away.

"My family is visiting from Italy and there's talk of me going home, so I've been excused from classes Mama."

"Oh, I see." Tsuna's mother smiled as she shifted the grocery bags she was holding. Cross was sure I-pin, Lambo, and Fuuta couldn't be too far if Nana was doing shopping right now. "And who is your friend there?"

Cross slid her gaze over to Bel before throwing an arm around the blonde's shoulders. "He's a close childhood friend; we spent a lot of time together in Italy."

"Isn't that nice, he came to visit with your family?"

"Yes. I was just showing him around."

"Is that right? Haha, then I'll leave you to it." Nana smiled before waving and continuing on her way. Cross sighed as the smile dropped from her lips and she released her hold on Belphegor.

"Maa, you didn't have to try and ditch me _principe._"

"Mama, huh?" Cross didn't like the smile that appeared on Bel's face and she frowned before jabbing an elbow into his side. Or rather, she made the motions but Bel moved out of the way, placing his hands behind his head as he resumed walking. Cross fell into step beside him a moment later. They fell into conversation, discussing Bel's latest missions ("Why am I filling out mission reports for you that were supposed to be done months ago?") and a tiny bit about Mukuro ("_Ushishishi, _what a scary guy, being able to break out of _there_." "I don't want to talk about it."), they were just like they were back at Varia HQ after getting back from missions that had them away for months…except without the constantly trying to cut each other open with sharp objects part.

* * *

"You've been busy while you've been here Cross."

"Huh?" Cross blinked at Bel as she looked away from the menu she had been scanning. The two had wandered around till they'd gotten bored and ended up "sparring" in the forest for a while before they both got hungry and were now sitting in an outdoor café. She let her gaze move from Bel to the surrounding area before she dropped her gaze back to the words. Of course Bel would notice the nervous glances she was getting from some of the people that passed by and saw her sitting with the blonde.

"I guess. I had to find some way of keeping myself entertained or, as you put it, I would have gone insane."

She set the menu down and absently twirled the straw in her drink. Sitting in a café with Bel located in Namimori of all places felt strange. Scratch that. Sitting in a café with Bel was strange all on its own. Cross propped her head up with one arm and frowned at the knife wielder. She'd never really felt like things were strange whenever she had hung out with Bel before, Namimori must have really gotten to her what with its mostly peaceful atmosphere. Seriously, Hibari had probably been the only one with any really tangible bloodlust in the area, Reborn aside. It had been much less chaotic than Cross was used to when she'd first arrived. That had to be the reason.

"Is there something on the Prince's face?"

Cross blinked. Oh, she'd been staring blankly at Bel's face for a while. Oops. "Nope. Nothing interesting either."

"Oi…" Bel's fingers twitched and Cross tilted her head innocently, though the challenging look in her eyes probably defeated the whole thing anyway before the two were once again prevented from fighting publically by a woman approaching their table to take their orders.

"Hello, I'll be your server today. Have you decided on what you want to order yet?"

Cross let her head fall back onto her hand and let her gaze rest on the woman, who had angled herself so that it was obvious that she was speaking with Bel and trying to ignore that Cross was there. Sometimes Cross forgot that Bel was a handsome male since she knew him as a bloodthirsty egotistical genius.

"Hey _principe__, ____sembra che__ qualcuno ha una cotta per te__._" (It looks like someone has a crush on you.) Cross said, amused. Bel's lips turned up into his signature grin.

"_Geloso__, __principessa__?_" (Jealous, princess?)

"___Più come__ preoccupato. Che cosa se effettivamente innamorare di lei_?" (More like worried. What if you actually fall in love with her?)

"Tch. ___Come se__ il principe si sarebbe innamorata di un contadino__._" (As if the prince would fall in love with a peasant.)

Cross actually laughed at that point and dropped her hand. "Maa, ___avrei dovuto __ucciderti__se l'avete fatto__, __suppongo_." (I would have to kill you if you did, I suppose.)

"_Ushishishi…____Non sarebbe in__grado di__graffiare __anche __me__._" (You wouldn't be able to even scratch me.)

"Uhm…excuse me?"

The Varia officers turned their attention as one towards the server. Neither spoke for a moment and then Cross sighed when Bel turned away yet again.

"We'll have two orders of the lunch set and…" Cross flipped the menu over, "…everything on the dessert menu." She drawled out. She drew her hand back and folded her arms over her chest before leaning back in her seat, raising an eyebrow at the woman when she didn't move from her spot.

"E-everything?"

"I said that didn't I?"

The woman grit her teeth before gathering the menus and turned stiffly to go place the order. Cross childishly stuck her tongue out at the woman's back before turning to face Bel once more, only to find him trying to hold in his laughter. Cross scowled again before re-crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're paying _principe_."

Bel finally stopped his silent shaking and allowed Cross to see the sly grin he now wore. "Didn't you notice _principessa_? Cash only."

Cross muttered darkly under her breath in Italian. She knew very well that the only things that one would find in Bel's wallet would be credit cards. She grudgingly nodded her head, wanting nothing more than to throw her newly acquired senbon needles at him. They might have gotten along well, but that did not mean they were not at each other's throats as often as they were fighting with the others.

Once the food was placed in front of them, the two resettled into their earlier companionable silence and ate in a reasonably civil manner (they only tossed food at the other patrons a few times and so discreetly they could never be pinned with the blame). The lunch set was made quick work of. It was only when the desserts started coming out did the other patrons fully stare at the two teens. The café itself had an impressive selection of sweets on their menu. And since Cross had ordered everything… it was like a constant flow of confections coming out of the kitchens and to their table. The two mafia members didn't even seem to notice the stares they were receiving as they enjoyed the food, passing plates around every so often if one of them didn't like what they were eating.

Eventually they did stop eating and Cross asked for the bill. The same woman from earlier brought it over and placed it on the table. Cross reached out a hand with a sigh and picked up the little folder that the bill had been placed in before flipping it open. She stared at the price for a moment.

"Is there something wrong miss?"

Cross didn't even acknowledge the woman. She was probably hoping that Cross didn't have enough money to pay for all the food they had eaten or something else just as petty. Please, if it came down to that, she had other options she could turn to.

"I'm taking your next mission payment." Cross stated bluntly in a low voice before pulling out her wallet and pulling out a few bills. She shut the folder and put it back on the table before getting up and stretching. Bel got up as well, though he seemed to be considering something in his head. Cross figured out what was bothering him a second after he'd gotten up. The woman was still there. Cross narrowed her eyes slightly before reaching over and taking Bel's hand. Better to help him out rather than let him cause a bloodbath, even if she disliked the woman.

"Let's go _principe_."

Cross tugged on Bel's hand until he was next to her. She nudged him discreetly and he draped his arm over her shoulder. "Don't give me orders _principessa._"

Cross made a humming sound in response as the pair walked out of the café. Having spent the morning walking around, the pair decided they'd given Squalo enough time to cool off and headed back to the hotel.

It was only after they walked back in and Cross watched as Squalo received an empty tequila bottle to the head followed by him swinging his sword around and shouting at the top of his lungs did she realize how wrong their choice had been.

"Forget it. I'm going back to my apartment." She deadpanned before maneuvering around the swinging sword to gather the documents that were miraculously sitting untouched on the coffee table. Then she ducked under a flying wine glass and swerved into the hallway to grab some things from her room and she reemerged, stuffing the papers into a bag. "I'll meet you at Nami-chuu later." She continued as she placed the strap of her bag onto her shoulder and made to leave the room. Soon, she found herself weighed down with extra bodies.

"…"

"Myuu…if you already had an apartment why did you waste money on a hotel?"

"The Prince wants to see where the Princess lives."

Cross puffed her cheeks childishly and refused to speak to either of the two, but didn't turn them away either. With that, the youngest Varia members and the baby were out of the hotel. You'd figure that would mean more quiet for the older members, but then again, if you thought that then you really don't know the Varia.

* * *

Bel was lying stomach down on Cross' bed, idly squishing Mammon's cheeks while the arcobaleno attempted to get out of his hold, threatening to extract pay from Bel's personal accounts. A little way aways from them was Cross, bent over more paper at her desk. Honestly, the amount of paperwork that had to be done everyday was horrifying. Her poor fax machine had gone and died after her second day in Namimori, which was why she had resorted to meetings at ungodly hours of the morning with subordinates from her team in order to get the documents safely delivered. She noted something on the sheet before her before signing it and then shoved the entire bundle away with her hand and, much to the amusement of the other two Varia members, faceplanted onto the desktop.

"What are you doing Cross?"

Cross mumbled darkly into the desktop before raising her head and directing her iciest glare at the pile of paper. Then she got up from her seat and ambled over to her bedside, nudging Bel with one hand to get him to move over. When he did, she fell gracelessly onto the mattress and turned onto her side, curling into a fetal position. Just before she could drop off into dreamland though, her cellphone rang, spewing forth a melody from its little speakers that she, quite honestly, hadn't been expecting. She weighed the pros and cons of not answering the call when she heard the distinct sound of someone else answering it for her.

"_Ushishishi..._Who is calling the princess~?"

She immediately sat up and snatched the phone from Bel's hand. She pressed the device to her ear and quickly uttered an apology.

"Sorry senpai, my acquaintance doesn't know when to mind his own business."

There was silence on the other line.

"Senpai?"

"Kimura."

"Yes?"

"…"

"I…see…? Why are you telling me this?"

"…"

"Eh? But I-"

"…"

"That's not-!"

Cross pulled the phone away from her ear with a disgruntled expression. Hibari had hung up on her. She could count the number of times she had actually spoken to Hibari on one hand since Squalo had first appeared in Namimori, she had pretty much resigned herself to the fact that Hibari would not want to see her again, especially since she'd technically cut numerous days of school at this point. Though her paperwork _should_ have gone through already. Hm, maybe she'd been giving him less credit than he was due.

She flipped the device shut and tossed it in the general direction of her desk, not caring if it actually made it or not before dropping back onto the mattress and shutting her eyes. She chose to ignore the poking in her side and tried to ignore the presence looming right over her. It was no use. Her eyes opened back up and she once again found Bel's bangs obscuring her vision.

"What are you doing Bel?"

"Who was that~?"

"Just an upperclassman from school."

Bel frowned briefly at the answer before pulling out a few knives and grinning. "Shall the prince go and deal with them?"

"Just leave him be." Cross muttered before turning and knocking Bel onto the unoccupied half of the bed. "I want to take a nap before the first match _principe_."

The blond was going to chastise Cross on her treatment of a prince before he saw the glazed look in her eyes and decided he could play with her later. He shifted into a more comfortable position, "_Ushishishi_, then the prince will indulge his princess this time." A moment later, both teens were asleep, which left one mafia baby free to explore.

Mammon picked up Cross' cellphone and turned it over a few times before opening it to see what it contained. He found himself staring at an encryption code and decided anything that was on the phone couldn't be worth his time and dropped it back to the desk. He probably could have gleaned some sort of blackmail from the piles of paperwork littering the desk, but there wouldn't be much profit from it since the paperwork was either from the Varia or the Cavallone Famiglia.

Going through the desk drawers turned out nothing. It seemed Cross didn't keep much of her personal items here at all. The only thing Mammon found that seemed out of place was a black school uniform jacket with a red armband around one of the sleeves hanging in Cross' closet. Other than that, everything else must have been bought when she'd arrived in Japan. Any personal items must have all been in her room back at Varia HQ. Following her here had yielded nothing to him. And here he had been hoping he would be able to dredge up something about the girl that had been dumped onto them by the Ninth. Though, he mused, she wouldn't be where she was if information on her had been so easily located. In the end, Mammon situated himself close to the headboard of Cross' bed and just out of reach of any hands that might have grabbed him in place of a stuffed animal and drifted off into a light sleep as well.

* * *

Cross understood Levi being at the school grounds early, he insisted on being early to everything if he could manage it, but she didn't really see the point for the rest of them to be early as well. She sighed as she dropped her head onto her arms which were crossed over Gola Mosca's shoulder. While Mammon was being carried in one hand, Cross had taken up a position in the Mosca's other hand, crossing her legs. She couldn't really be bothered to stand around like her teammates. And she had been rudely woken up by Bel earlier as well. Instead of telling her they needed to head out early, the Prince had just slung her over his shoulder and jumped out her apartment window with absolutely no warning, so she'd woken up to them free-falling. Not an experience she could say she enjoyed.

As she absentmindedly popped a pill into her mouth, Tsuna and his guardians finally arrived. They had to work a bit on their perception skills though, since it seemed that none of the middle-schoolers had noticed the Varia's presence on the awning above them. Cross swallowed with a grimace before dropping from Mosca's hand and taking her position next to Bel.

"Each battle will take place in specially prepared arenas. Today will be the battle between the Sun Guardians."

Lussuria was up first then. He seemed to be excited about it. Cross scowled slightly, sure, Lussuria was probably the most welcoming member of the Varia, but she still hadn't gotten over her petty feelings from being made to give the morning calls that morning.

"Is Boss late?"

There was no way Xanxus would want to waste his time watching this match. Cross shrugged in response to the question, leaving it to the others to give a proper response. She patted her pockets before frowning when she couldn't find her cell. So Bel and Mammon had remembered to bring her coat…but they couldn't be bothered to bring her cell too.

She glanced at the boxing ring as it was unveiled. Following along when everybody moved to get a better view of where the fight would take place. As they were moving she couldn't help but glance over to Tsuna's side, her eyes resting on the older Sasagawa. She'd never actually talked with the guy, but his personality couldn't have been too far off from his sister's. It really was too bad he'd been dragged into this mess. Cross remained silent as the two fighters got ready.

As she watched Lussuria and Ryohei start to circle one another, she once again got the feeling that she was missing something. Something that her teammates were hiding from her. She didn't believe what had been written in that letter about the Ninth regretting his decision to choose Tsunayoshi. He didn't seem like the kind of man who would regret that kind of decision. And while he was unprepared for it, Tsuna would definitely be a compassionate boss. Not that she wanted to say anything bad about her own boss but….well, Xanxus and the Varia weren't exactly the sanest people around. They…did not represent what Cross thought the Vongola stood for. Reading through the histories of the Vongola, she had an inkling of what the original famiglia had been going for, but she couldn't be completely sure. She didn't have access to the documents she needed to be sure of her ideas.

She slipped a pair of sunglasses on when the area was flooded with light immediately when the battle was started. Her gaze focused back on the fighters and she unconsciously clenched a hand, the only indication that she was bothered by what was going on.

Lussuria was a strong fighter. He didn't have much of a plan for his fights. He wasn't a strategist and he didn't have a plan for his fights like say Bel. He threw his whole self into the fight. He took the meaning of protecting the family with his body quite literally. Muay Thai was his fighting style of choice. To be quite honest, Cross didn't know much about it, as she'd never really had much interest in getting to know the man's fighting styles as she was almost never sent out on missions with him. When she was, they had their own parts and there were never really any problems that came up.

Ryohei wasn't in bad shape though. He had a disadvantage from being blinded by the lights and he wasn't used to these conditions, yes, but being a boxer his body was in no ways weak. And after training with Colonello, Cross was sure he'd picked up a trick or two at least from the baby.

The corner of her lips twitched when Ryohei's fist smashed into the metal plate on Lussuria's knee, no doubt shattering the bones in his hand. Unless the boxer figured out a way to work with or around his disadvantages, this fight would be in Lussuria's favor, and with the flamboyant man's…err…_tastes_, Ryohei could lose more than just the match.

Cross forced her fingers to uncurl before her nails could pierce her skin and breathed in steadily. She endured another few tense minutes before finally turning her head away. She couldn't watch any longer. Her breaths were taken in a stunted fashion as she directed her eyes to the blond beside her, who seemed to be enjoying himself.

"_Principe, _lend me your cellphone."

The knife-wielder tilted his head a bit, considering refusing the girl before shrugging and handing over his mobile. Cross took it with a nod and muted thanks before swiftly removing herself from the area.

She took up a position just outside of the fighting area, pocketing the sunglasses, lazily watching the guards that were posted to keep out unwanted visitors and flipped open the phone, punching in one of the numbers she'd had memorized. Instead of calling though, she ended up composing a text message. Necessary information and observations were condensed into a few short sentences before she hit send. Then she navigated through the phone's settings to delete the text she had sent. She didn't need Bel seeing what she was doing anyway.

Muffled grunts caught her attention and Cross lifted her gaze from the phone's screen, swiftly getting up and hiding herself in the shadows of the school roof. They needed to get better guards, she noted, her passive gaze on the men that were now lying unconscious on the ground. She saw no point in following the uninvited guests; they were heading straight to the boxing ring anyway. Once it was apparent she wouldn't be noticed, she stepped back out and leaned against the fencing surrounding the roof. She'd have to head back soon or one of them would come to find her and she'd probably be questioned as to what she had been doing.

Thin fingers grasped the chain-link fence and Cross raised her eyes to look at the sky. She took a deep breath before abruptly turning herself back around and heading back to the fight.

Her return was quiet and she slipped into her spot without disturbing anybody, deciding to return Bel's phone later. It seemed the fight had taken an interesting turn while she'd been away. There was no need for the sunglasses anymore, since the lights had been broken. It appeared that Lussuria was losing in fact… Cross watched at the Varia Sun Guardian fell to the ground with his metal knee busted. It seemed he had lost. Her jaw clenched but no other emotion passed over her face as Mosca shot Lussuria in the back.

No one ever said that the Varia was a merciful place.

Tsuna's side seemed to be in disbelief over what had transpired. Cross relaxed her jaw muscles as she stared across at them, her gaze locking with Reborn's. Her head inclined just a bit and his bent slightly forward as well, in acknowledgement. With this display there was no way Tsuna could keep trying to shirk his duties. That would just be entirely all too careless of him. The next couple of fights would only get harder from here.

Cross returned her attention to the ring, where Ryohei finally snapped the two halves of the Vongola Sun ring together, signifying his victory. The Cervello dropped into the ring to confirm his victory and then announced that the next battle would be between the two Thunder Guardians. Cross couldn't care less about Levi, but she found herself glancing over at Lambo. Would the kid actually be alright in this fight? There had to have been a reason Reborn chose him as the candidate to be Tsuna's Thunder Guardian. Her lips were pressed into a thin line as she turned her back on all of it, trailing after her teammates as they made their way off school grounds.

"Bel. Catch."

Cross tossed the prince's cell phone to him before she heard someone calling her name. She paused mid-step and turned to look over her shoulder.

"Tsunayoshi…"

She split off from her teammates and retraced her steps to join the other group.

"You called?"

The air was tense as she stood among them. It had been a while since she'd actually spoken to them, hadn't it?

"H-how could you…isn't he your teammate?"

She examined the people standing before her before her lips parted to form words.

"The Varia…works along the idea that the weak are disposed of. Lussuria failed his objective, and so he was dealt with." She locked her gaze with Tsuna's, "…he isn't dead. It'd take more than what Mosca did to kill Lussuria."

His shoulders seemed to sag in relief at that news. "…Can I ask…which ring…"

Cross' lips lifted into a rather bitter smile. She tilted her head to the side as she reached up to tug out the chain that was hiding beneath her shirt. The half ring that she'd hung from it swung gently from the action, glinting when it caught the glare off of the dim lights.

"…Cloud."


End file.
